Written Language Profile of Children and Youth with Asperger Syndrome: From Research to Practice

Abstract: The current study investigated written language skills of children and youth with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Sixteen children and youth with AS and 16 neurotypical peers were compared on a standardized test of written language skills and legibility of handwriting. To investigate more detailed characteristics, informal analyses were also made for written samples from these standardized tests. In written language skills, significant differences were not found between standardized scores of both groups; however, in hand writing skills, the group of individuals with AS produced significantly less legible letters and words than the neurotypical group. Informal analyses of written samples further reveal that the group of children and youth with AS appear to be able write quantitatively similar to their neurotypical peers with using grammatical rules but had difficulty producing qualitative writing. Implications for translating research to practice in teaching writing skills for children and youth with AS are discussed.